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47 METRES DOWN – Review

Another year, another Shark movie. But nope, this time it isn’t Sharknado. The Mandy Moore-starring shark thriller 47 Meters Down was initially slated for a DVD release, but an eleventh hour rescue mission involving a Weinstein, a title change, an indie distributor and a rising U.K. producer dramatically altered its course.

The film follows Sisters Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) happily holidaying Mexico, whom are talked into going on a cage dive with Great White sharks, by some handsome men met on a night out.

Yes the Clichéd ‘don’t go away with strangers on holiday’ pops up once again in this ‘Slay-cation’ flick. A creaky old boat, a rusty old shark diving cage… perfectly safe right? Well, as the tales always tell us – that is not the case.

A few cheesy beginnings attempt to set the atmosphere of ‘girly-romp’ from the start, yet take a far darker turn as the film progresses. A claustrophobic atmosphere and a fear of being trapped set in heavily within this film adding to the deadly surroundings of the ocean.

This film had everything set in place for something great… Yet it’s budget seemed to let it down with lazy animated sharks and something that truly should have been left for the ‘View at home shelf’. Once again relying on the demon of the sea, the fear can be easily bought by audiences – yet as the cage set its course, I couldn’t help but feel the film sinking further in to the darkness of the abyss itself – relying heavily on on jump scares and faded images. Although there is so much right with the film, it just fails to measure up to films of the past.

If I want to see people getting eaten by Sharks, I want to actually see it happening… Not this offscreen “We couldn’t afford the visuals” nonsense. I feel it’s ‘tasteful’ presence, yet was left heavily disappointed by what seemed to be false promises of some bloody action.

Although pulling in massive gain at the box office from a small budget, this film is far from exciting. Best left for Shark genre enthusiasts and those who are fans of the stereotypical damsel in distress.